Well, weren't you a good boy and/or girl this year! That iPad's going to be your favorite new toy no matter what, but here's how to squeeze the most out of it from day one.

Step One

I'll assume you've successfully removed the iPad from its box, yes? Good. You're a natural! Now trot on over to your computer and plug it in with that fancy 30-pin connector (also, don't lose that connector—it's proprietary to Apple).

Once you're hooked up, iTunes will walk you through the registration process. It's pretty intuitive! But in case you're not one to intuit, you can check out our original iPad set-up guide.

You finally have your iPad in hand. But wait! You can't just plug it in and dump every app,…
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Getting In Sync

Okay okay, so now here comes the first remotely tricky part. You'll be given the option to sync up alllll of the apps and media you've got stashed away in iTunes. And this is where a little selectivity is going to be helpful.

So. If you don't already own an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you can skip this part. If you do own one or both of those things, you're going to want to pare down the apps you've collected. That's partly because not all of your apps are ideally situated to the iPad's larger display, and partly because you're going to want to save room for the ones that are.

Fortunately, iTunes does a lot of the work for you. Apps are already segmented between "universal" apps (that work for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad) and apps that are designed specifically for the iPhone. Which means: go ahead and sync all of the universal apps you already have, then either track down the iPad equivalents of the iPhone apps you love, or stick with the iPhone version and settle for some wonkiness.

You'll also be given the choice to sync music, video, and photos. Again, be selective!

The Apps You Need Right Now

Okay, okay, here's the fun part: where you get to trick out your tablet with the apps that make you a Grade A iPad Ninja. We keep constant track of the most essential iPad apps here, but think of the following as the most most essential:

The iPad App Store is open! Here are the best of the apps so far—the ones you'll actually want …
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Netflix

Netflix streaming. On the iPad. It doesn't really get much better than that, assuming you've got a Netflix account (which by now, honestly, shouldn't you?). [Free]

Kindle

Sure, Apple's iBooks app is fine. But with Kindle you can read your ebooks across your iPad, iPhone, laptop, and actual Kindle. It's the best, most versatile way to turn your iPad into a portable library. [Free]

The Grey Lady looks great on the iPad's color screen. There's tons of free content for now, so grab it before it disappears behind a paywall. [Free]

Instapaper

See something on the web you want to save for reading later? Instapaper it, and you'll have a huge cache of perfectly formatted iPad content. [$5]

Epicurious

Even if you're the type of person who just says they want to cook but doesn't do any actual cooking, Epicurious is a must-have. It's a huge, easily navigable recipe database, with the all the requisite mouth-watering pictures [Free]

Flipboard

Social media! RSS feeds! All wrapped up in a very pretty package. Flipboard turns your Facebook and Twitter updates—and a host of other content—into the only iPad magazine you may ever need. [Free]

Twitter

Of course, you may also just want your Twitter pure and simple, in which case you can't do much better than the Twitter for iPad [Free]

Words With Friends HD

Pseudo-Scrabble ends up being even better than real Scrabble, mostly because your friends have already downloaded this version. [$1 (sale price)]

Elements

Just in case you wanted to use your iPad to do some actual, uh, work, you can't do much better than Elements for a text editor. Bonus: files are stored in your Dropbox folder, so you can access them anywhere. [$5]

Infinity Blade

Totally original, amazing 3D graphics, an epic storyline: this is the iOS game to own right now. So go get it. [$6]

Suit Up

The whole point of the iPad is that it's portable—which also means it's more liable to get nicked, splashed, dropped, and dinged. Fortunately, you've got near limitless case options that range from stylish to sturdy to kickstand. Here are a few recommendations to fit your own personal style.